Binary sensor problem: Entity id already exists: binary_sensor.movement

Configuration
1

Hi,

Having another hair-pulling moment… I’ve added a second movement binary sensor to my binary_sensors.yaml include and I’m getting the following error:

2018-12-09 00:36:36 ERROR (MainThread) [homeassistant.core] Error doing job: Task exception was never retrieved
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.6/site-packages/homeassistant/helpers/entity_platform.py", line 343, in _async_add_entity
    raise HomeAssistantError(msg)
homeassistant.exceptions.HomeAssistantError: Entity id already exists: binary_sensor.movement

I’m running hass on a R Pi 3B+, version 83.3.

Relevant part of configuration.yaml:

##########################################################
# Includes
##########################################################
automation: !include includes/automations.yaml
device_tracker: !include includes/device_tracker.yaml
group: !include includes/groups.yaml
media_player: !include includes/mediaPlayers.yaml
script: !include includes/scripts.yaml
sensor: !include includes/sensors.yaml
switch: !include includes/switches.yaml
zone: !include includes/zones.yaml
binary_sensor: !include includes/binary_sensors.yaml

binary_sensors.yaml:

# Binary sensors

# Hank Motion Sensor Stairs
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      movement:
        friendly_name: "Motion on Stairs"
        device_class: motion
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_2', '8') }}"

# Hank Motion Living Room
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      movement:
        friendly_name: "Motion in Living Room"
        device_class: motion
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_3', '8')
          or is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_4', '8') }}"


# Workday sensor
  - platform: workday
    country: SE

I’m surely missing something obvious but it’s late so I’m begging for help. Anyone?

Thanks in advance!

Ed

2

Solved it!

Realised i didn’t declare a unique name for the different sensors! I had defined the first sensor as ‘movement’ - a really ambiguous name looking back on it… Anyway this is the corrected binary_sensors.yaml if anyone is as stupid as me:

# Binary sensors

# Hank Motion Sensor Stairs
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      motion_stairs:
        friendly_name: "Motion on Stairs"
        device_class: motion
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_2', '8') }}"

# Hank Motion Living Room
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      motion_livingroom:
        friendly_name: "Motion in Living Room"
        device_class: motion
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_3', '8')
          or is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_4', '8') }}"


# Workday sensor
  - platform: workday
    country: SE
3

Technically speaking, what you created there are template_sensors.

You can list all template_sensors under the same heading like this:

# Hank Motion Sensors
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      motion_stairs:
        friendly_name: "Motion on Stairs"
        device_class: motion
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_2', '8') }}"

      motion_livingroom:
        friendly_name: "Motion in Living Room"
        device_class: motion
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_3', '8')  or is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_4', '8') }}"

As of version 0.81 you should list the entity_id of sensors within the template.

# Hank Motion Sensors
  - platform: template
    sensors:
      motion_stairs:
        friendly_name: "Motion on Stairs"
        device_class: motion
        entity_id:
          - sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_2
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_2', '8') }}"

      motion_livingroom:
        friendly_name: "Motion in Living Room"
        device_class: motion
          entity_id:
            - sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_3
            - sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_4
        value_template: "{{ is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_3', '8')  or is_state('sensor.hank_unknown_type0300_id0012_burglar_4', '8') }}"
1 Like
4

Thanks for the constructive feedback!